The Lubbock County Jail is operating at almost a 13 percent deficit in staff, with at least 23 open spots out of 180 total assigned to the Lubbock County Jail; the county's juvenile justice center is down about 15 percent; and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice needs to fill 1,600 jobs, officials say.

What that means to the guards who stick around is more work and more stress, but not much more money, say some who have left the business.

Carolyn Whisenhunt had been a detention officer in the Lubbock County Jail for eight years when she left last month.

''The public is not aware of how much you have to put up with and how much in danger your life can be. The county jail is full of people who are not just traffic violators. There are murderers, rapers, child molesters some real hard criminals in that jail,'' she said.

The stress of dealing with those inmates coupled with the low pay and little promise of more money finally drove Whisenhunt, a fully certified peace officer, to leave the Sheriff's Office, she said.

Another former Sheriff's Office employee said he left the jail, at least in part, because he could make more money working on his own as a part-time private investigator than he could as a full-time detention officer with the jail.

Lubbock County Juvenile Justice Center director Les Brown said some of the employees who remain have to serve during the quieter shifts with offender-to-staff ratios exceeding the state's requirements. This situation could potentially lead to the facility's de-certification, loss of local inmates and drops in grant funding, he said.

Brown said his situation has gotten so desperate, he's considering potential employees for full-time positions without the two-year college requirement stipulated in the past.

Lubbock unemployment rate ranked third lowest in the state (2.3 percent) in May, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. Nationwide, Texas held the 38th spot for low unemployment, according to the state's actual market series number. Texas dropped to 41st when commissioner analysts added in considerations for seasonal employment.

Not only are law enforcement agencies competing with the private sector for employees, but they're competing with one another, said Lubbock Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Paul Scarborough.

Generally, Scarborough hires about 10 percent of the people who apply. That hasn't changed. Only now, fewer applications are coming in, he said.

Completed applications may pour into the office, but many don't meet the minimum requirements for employment, he said. Those requirements include being 21 years old, possessing a high school education or GED, and two years in the military or other corrections facility or 60 college credit hours.

That's pretty basic criteria, Scarborough said, which isn't likely to lessen. And while the Sheriff's Office hired four new jailers two weeks, four others quit during the same period.

''They get better paying jobs. We're having a hard time competing at our salary level,'' he said.

Currently, the Lubbock County Jail pays its corrections officers from $18,000 to $26,000. Starting pay depends on experience and training, and for those who come into the office at $26,000, there's not much room for reward, Scarborough said.

Meanwhile, Brown said he's having the hardest time he's known trying to hire people to guard juveniles.

''In my professional career, we've never dealt with unemployment like this,'' he said.

Brown is asking the county for about $600,000 to create at least 23 new full-time detention officer positions, paid at $19,000 each, plus benefits.

The move would eliminate those positions in which part-time officers are paid $6 an hour with no benefits until they've worked 900 hours. Currently, once the officers reach that marker, they get benefits, but no raise in pay.

Turnover for those part-time positions is about 75 percent in a year's time; turnover for full-time positions is at 50 percent, Brown said.

Scarborough said that when budget talks get under way this summer, the Sheriff's Office will ask for a pay increase for corrections officers. That would raise base pay range from $18,000 to $26,000 a year to $21,000 to $28,000.

''To get those top people, we have to pay more. It's not an expense, it's an investment. Over the years we've paid out a lot of money that's an expense because we didn't have liability protection.

''A guy with two years college or two years military they can find work,'' he said. ''We don't get a lot of over-qualified people.''

The request for more cash comes from trouble the Sheriff's Office has in keeping up with state prison guard pay, Scarborough said.

State prison guards can make up to $28,000 within three years, he said, while county jailers top out at $26,000. Plus, a $35 million executive order by Gov. George W. Bush created a new position for TDCJ guards to look forward to, and a pay raise for some long-time employees.

If a potential employee isn't driven to succeed in corrections work, other jobs which may offer the same money but less stress seem appealing, he said.

And while county corrections are competing with state prison agencies, TDCJ is watching for the private sector for new hires, said TDCJ spokesman Larry Todd.

''When a potential corrections officer finds he can make more money in a convenience store with a lot less stress, then we lose our opportunity to recruit,'' Todd said.

Money isn't the only reason people take a job, Todd said, but a prison guard needs a lot of dedication and fortitude to handle the work.

''The good news is the good economy; the bad news is the good economy has hampered us in hiring corrections officers,'' he said.

Deon Daugherty can be contacted at 766-8759 or ddaugherty@lubbockonline.com